It’s important that you take a day off each week from your diet to completely enjoy any and all of the “non-diet” food you’ve been craving. Many people mistake this recommendation for an excuse to go out, party and drink up a storm. Now, the first two are all fine by me, but when it comes to mixing alcohol in with your “cheat day,” a drink or two is the limit. The reasoning is simple: Strategic dietary cheating works because it causes the anti-starvation hormone leptin to rise back to normal levels each week so we can continue to burn fat and avoid plateaus. Unfortunately, alcohol has been shown to have a profound impact on leptin, but not in a positive way. That’s right, heavy alcohol intake sends leptin plummeting very quickly.

So next time you go to enjoy a day “off” from your diet, keep the alcohol intake minimal and enjoy the heightened metabolism!